Same Old
by orderofthepygmypuff
Summary: Sirius & Remus one shot. They may not have had everything, but they had each other until disaster and betrayal changed their lives forever. But now, thirteen years later, they might have a chance again.


Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to her Majesty, the Queen JK Rowling.

**July 31st, 1981**

"I found the _perfect_ present for Harry! _Finally!_"

Remus looked up from The Daily Prophet as his boyfriend bounced into their tiny London flat, looking happier than he had in what seemed like years. Remus was immediately suspicious.

"What is it?"

"A broomstick!"

"Uh. Padfoot."

"What?"

"Harry is one."

"I know!"

"He is an infant."

"It's for kids! One of those little ones that only float up two feet, with cushioning charms and everything!"

Remus smiled. "Well that does sound better. Lily will have a ball chasing after him on that thing."

"Harry will _love _it."

"You mean James will love it."

"Whatever, same thing." Sirius pulled the package out from his cloak. "Come on," he said, "Let's go. I have to give it to him now."

"It's eight in the morning. James will kill you."

"But it's Harry's birthday!" said Sirius earnestly.

"It's still eight in the morning," repeated Remus wearily, but he had to smile at Sirius's excitement.

"No! Today is Harry's birthday! Today, there is no war. Today, there is no sleeping in. For today. Is Harry's birthday."

"But it's still ei-"

"Mooonyyyy, I want to go nowwww," whined Sirius. Remus looked over at him, grinning.

"Fine. Fine, we'll go now."

Sirius was nearly skipping with joy. "Let's get Peter too! His mum always makes pancakes on Saturday mornings."

"Actually, that sounds really good," agreed Remus, and he rose to get his shoes while Sirius bounced impatiently. He had just managed to pull on his boots when a large ball of flame appeared in the middle of the room. When it disappeared a second later, a phoenix feather and a note were floating gently to the ground. Remus leapt up and caught the note, and Sirius rushed forward to read it over his shoulder.

_Need you both in Diagon Alley now. Lestranges. -A_

"Lestranges," breathed Remus, his voice full of fear.

"It'll be okay," said Sirius immediately. "We'll be fine. We'll just have to pop over to Godric's Hollow for lunch instead of going now."

"Right."

"Because it's Harry's birthday."

"Yes."

"Moony."

"Padfoot."

"As soon as this war is over," said Sirius, putting his hands on each of Remus's shoulders and looking him earnestly in the eye, "we will have everything."

Remus smiled uncertainly. "Everything," he agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>July 8th, 1995<strong>

Buckbeak was settled on Sirius's parents' old bed. The hippogriff tucked his legs primly underneath his body and set to work on the four ferrets that Sirius laid out in front of him. Sirius couldn't help but grin as his mother's coverlet of embroidered silk was suddenly splattered with blood and bone. Amid all the crunching, he almost didn't hear the door open downstairs.

He drew his wand and dropped to the floor in an instant panic, his mind full of visions of dementors and chains. But this was no longer just his family's home; it was the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. And no one but members of the Order could come inside. Sirius breathed deeply and willed his heart to slow down again. It would take a while before he was used to being around people again before panicking; he had only been home (ugh) for less than an hour.

"Padfoot?"

_Remus_. "I'm up here!" he shouted.

Remus's shabby, tired face appeared in the doorframe moments later. He grinned at the sight of Buckbeak chomping away on the old bed. "Excellent idea."

"Yes, my lovely old mum had a great fondness for large flying creatures, you know," said Sirius, laughing.

"When'd you get here?" Remus seemed to grow younger as he spoke; his smile became easier, his language less stiff.

"Just now!" said Sirius. He leaned lazily against the carved mahagony writing desk, and for a moment his hair flopped into his face. He shook it back in a gesture that felt nearly alien to him now, though it had been a much-practiced one when he'd been seventeen. He felt a familiar swooping in his stomach as Remus watched him.

"I thought I'd be your welcome party, but I saw that you'd already arrived."

Sirius nodded, and they both watched Buckbeak tear apart the last ferret with his pointed beak. The air suddenly seemed full of an old tension. It had been more than thirteen years since their lives had fallen apart. A whole year had passed now since Remus found out the truth, but they had been apart since then. Until now. And now where were they?

"So, er, how are you?" Sirius cringed in shame; his people skills had obviously disappeared entirely during his incarceration.

"Er. Same old, you know?" At least Remus wasn't doing much better. Suddenly everything was quite ridiculous. Padfoot and Moony, the Marauders, exchanging awkward pleasantries with each other. They laughed at the same time, and it was a comforting, familiar sound.

"It must be hard for you to come back here," said Remus tentatively.

"I never expected to be back," agreed Sirius, and they lapsed into a short silence again.

"You know, we were doing quite well before," said Remus abruptly. Sirius watched him, brow furrowed.

"Before?"

"Before. Thirteen years ago. Lily and James in Godric's Hollow, and us in that flat in London." Sirius felt that hot sick feeling he got whenever he thought of their old life. It was a memory that the dementors had erased until his escape; a memory that didn't feel like it quite belonged to him anymore.

"You hated that place," he said, and a small smile appeared on Remus's face.

"But you loved it!"

"We had to go back to the Forbidden Forest every month, and you were always in so much pain…"

Remus shook his head, as though willing those nights away. "That would have been the case no matter where we lived."

"Hm."

"Padfoot."

"Moony."

"Come and live with me again."

"What?" Sirius stared at Remus, not daring to hope that this might mean what he thought. Remus merely looked at him, as though he'd used up his store of courage in that one statement. "D'you mean...you want…?"

"I'm so sorry," burst out Remus, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry I believed you were the traitor, and I'm so sorry I didn't come and find you last year after I found out you were innocent."

"What? No! I would have thought I was the traitor! And I was on the run from the dementors; I never expected-"

"But I should have come and found you."

Sirius felt tears prick his eyes, but there was something behind them other than grief and despair: hope. Remus was here. His Moony wanted him back. "No, you shouldn't have. But we're here now."

Remus hesitated for a moment, and then strode towards him, placed his hands on each of Sirius's hollowed cheeks, and kissed him.

"I'm on the run, I'll put you in danger, and we'll have to move all the time…"

Remus laughed, his lips still only millimeters from Sirius's. "I have to move all the time anyway. And as to being in danger, _I'm a werewolf_."

Sirius pressed his mouth against Remus's again. "We'll have to be ca-"

_Kiss._

"There's no guaran-"

_Kiss._

"Okay."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p>Dumbledore's old face sagged as he frowned. "If you wish to leave Grimmauld Place, Sirius, that is your decision. However, the Order of the Phoenix cannot meet here if there is any risk of you getting caught. We cannot risk the Ministry finding out our whereabouts. It is my hope that you will choose to stay here and allow us to continue using the house."<p>

Sirius tried to take the blow lightly, but he had to grip the edges of his chair to contain the full weight of his disappointment. Next to him, Remus was staring down at a speck on the table, his jaw set with sadness, as it always seemed to be these days.

"I am deeply sorry," said Dumbledore. Neither of them replied. Dumbledore studied them, his face full of sympathy, and Sirius felt a white hot stab of anger.

* * *

><p>"<em>He has no right to keep us apart<em>," stormed Sirius when all the Order members had emptied out of the house for the evening. "I'll leave with you anyway, I don't care. You heard what he said, it's my decision."

"You won't do that."

"Why do you think I won't?!"

"Because this is the only way you can help fight Voldemort this time around."

"I-you-" Sirius mouthed furiously at Remus, but Remus met his gaze without hesitation.

"You know it's true."

Sirius glared at the worn green rug. "Stay here then."

Remus watched him miserably. "How can I do that? I have to find work."

"It's London! Find work in London!"

But Remus shook his head. "It's not as easy as that. It's well-known what I am now, after what happened at Hogwarts."

"Then you can just-just…"

Remus watched him and said nothing. They sat in miserable silence, the dismal house echoing around them.

"Then come home to me," said Sirius after a while, in barely a whisper. "When you can."

"I will. I always will. Padfoot, as soon as this war is over, we will have everything."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Sirius's face. "Everything," he agreed.


End file.
